“Neither party welcomes primaries for major statewide offices between two very talented people,” Carper said. “But having said that, at the very least the conversations John and Jack had over the period of a month or two — I think those conversations may have changed the tone of the campaign and enabled them to reconnect as friends in a way that maybe they had not been connecting for the last year or two.”

Even though Markell's interest was well-known, his reticence preserved the fiction that a primary would not occur.

Delaware Grapevinehad previously quoted Markell as saying, "I have no intention of running for lieutenant governor." For those who somehow didn't find this definitive enough, Jack Markell has clarified his intentions.Update: Jack Markell has his announcement on his campaign website, including a video version:

I’m not satisfied that more than one hundred thousand people in Delaware, including 20,000 children, have no health insurance, and many more families are struggling to keep up with rising insurance costs. I’m not satisfied that our high school graduation rate ranks about 40th in the country, and half of our black and Hispanic students end up dropping out. I’m not satisfied that Delaware ranks last in the entire country in new business creation. With the challenges we face as a state, we have no choice...we must do better.

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...

As the campaign unfolds, Carney is expected to focus on his experience as a two-term lieutenant governor and previously as a Cabinet secretary inside Legislative Hall, where Gov. Ruth Ann Minner and a significant contingent of the Democratic legislators already have said they will back him.

As you've pointed out many times - inside v. outside game. Although, let's face it Markell has some inside chops.

Althought the thought vexes Carper and Cohen - Carney must be considered the long shot right now.